News of: Thursday, 18th of March, 2010

Front Page

The countrywide indefinite strike by water transport workers entered its third day this morning and started taking a heavy toll on importers, as scores of cargo and lighter vessels are stranded at Chittagong and Mongla ports.

Bangladesh will miss the April 1 deadline set by International Civil Aviation Organisation for introducing machine-readable passport (MRP) as it will take about two months to set up offices with required equipment for the purpose, officials concerned said.

The government is considering increasing in cash incentives on export of potatoes to 20 per cent from existing 10 per cent to help potato growers get fair price as now the price is lower than the production cost in domestic markets.

Ahead of the Joint River Commission meeting beginning here today after a gap of five years, Bangladesh has said it expects to get more than 35,000 cubic feet per second (cusec) of Teesta water in a cycle of 10 days during March-May.

Despite being the regulator of the banking industry, Bangladesh Bank believes that it has nothing to do with the recent unpleasant incident between a state minister and a managing director of a private bank that jolted the country's banking sector.

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday called on the microcredit regulator to come up with standardised interest rates for microfinance institutions to clear suspicion and establish transparency.

Jamaat-e-Islami and its associate organisations have picked a strategy of using Bangabandhu's name to continue their activities among the children of Rajshahi under a new banner called Shishu Kantha Sangsad (SKS).

At least 50 people including an assistant proctor, students and policemen were injured in a clash between students and outsiders over cutting of a cake marking the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu at Bangladesh Agricultural University last night.

An assistant police commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police was critically injured when a speeding private car hit him from behind on Lake Road in front of Chandrima Udyan in city's Sher-e-Banglanagar yesterday afternoon.

THE strike by inland water transport workers brought the sector to a near standstill, as thousands of launch passengers found themselves stranded at different river terminals across the country on the first day. The strike is reported to have been called after a tripartite meeting among the government, owners and workers, convened to hammer out a deal on introducing a new pay scale for the workers, failed to produce any results.

Sports

Rokibul Hasan took another step yesterday in his bid to return to competitive cricket. The retired cricketer has submitted a letter in this regard to the Bangladesh team's operations manager Shafiqul Haque, informed a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director.

After a day's break, the Bangladesh League resumes today with three matches to be held outside the capital. Beanibazar SC host Rahmatganj MFS in Sylhet, Feni Soccer Club take on Chittagong Abahani at home while Shuktara Jubo Sangsad play against Arambagh KS in Narayanganj.

Despite defeat in the first Test in Chittagong, there is some positive and encouraging news for Bangladesh. Captain Shakib Al Hasan climbed to fifteenth position by improving his ranking by three places following his match figures of 5-195 and Mushfiqur Rahim became the second highest-ranked wicketkeeper-batsman after India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf who was last week banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from playing for the country, has been permitted to play in Bangladesh's Port City League (PCL) that will be held in Sharjah over March 26-April 2.

Half-centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Saurabh Tiwary followed by some tight bowling from their bowlers helped Mumbai Indians post a massive 98-run win over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi yesterday.

Michael Clarke has spoken publicly for the first time since his sudden departure from Australia's tour and his subsequent break-up with Lara Bingle. Clarke fronted a packed media conference at Wellington's Westpac Stadium, where he mentioned the support he had received from Shane Warne and insisted the media frenzy following him and his former fiancée would not affect the focus on his cricket.

Sourav Ganguly has put down Kolkata Knight Riders' comprehensive defeat against Chennai Super Kings to poor bowling at the death and the loss of early wickets in the chase. Kolkata, playing at home, were in a strong position after taking three wickets -- Matthew Hayden, M Vijay and Suresh Raina -- in the first 10 overs. But MS Dhoni and S Badrinath retaliated with an unbeaten 109-run stand to push their team to 164, which their bowlers defended with ease.

Metropolitan

The 90th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children's Day was observed in the city as elsewhere across the country yesterday with a call to try war criminals to establish Bangladesh as a non-communal country.

IFC, a member of World Bank Group, in association with the establishment ministry has undertaken a civil service training programme to sensitise civil servants to key private sector development issues so that they can understand, analyse and respond to its needs.

The imam and the muezzin of Bangabhaban Staff Quarters Mosque and their wives were locked in a scuffle over a trifling matter at the staff quarters in the city yesterday, leaving three of them injured.

Former speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Jamiruddin Sircar yesterday raised question about neutrality of Speaker Abdul Hamid and suggested that Hamid follow the way he (Sircar) moderated the parliament sessions in a neutral manner.

Farmers yesterday called on the government to take an initiative to purchase potato and tomato from them directly and set up more cold storage and procurement centres in the areas where Robi crops grow aplenty.

Tiger killed a 'gol pata' (leaf) collector at Pashurtala canal in the Sundarbans yesterday. The victim was identified as Khaleque Sardar, 25, son of Mohor Ali Sardar of Katabunia village under Koira upazila of Khulna district. According to forest officials, the victim, Khaleque Sardar, and four others went to the Sundarbans to collect gol pata, taking permission from Burigoalini forest station on March 15. While they were collecting gol pata at Pashurtala canal, a Royal Bengal Tiger swooped on Khaleque and dragged him into the deep forest. Forest guards recovered the body in the afternoon.

At least 50 shops were gutted in a fire at Krisnarchar Bazar under Durgapur upazila of the district early yesterday. Police and locals said the fire originated from an electric short circuit at a cotton shop at around 1:00am and soon engulfed the 49 other adjacent shops. On Information, fire fighters from the district headquarters rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze with the help of local people at 4:00am. Former AL lawmaker from Netrakona-1 constituency (Durgapur and Kalmakanda) Jalaluddin Talukder visited the spot yesterday and urged the government to help the affected shop owners.

A housewife committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her house in Kalabagan area of Mohonganj municipality on Tuesday night. The dead is Shahida Akter Bubli, 24, wife of Moniruzzaman Khan. Police and neighbours said Moniruzzaman is a drug addict. He entered the house at around 11:30pm, beat up Shahida and then left the house. Neighbours said they entered the house in the morning as the door was open and found Shahida hanging from a ceiling fan. Being informed, police rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it to Netrakona Sadar Hospital for autopsy .A case was filed with Mohonganj Police Station. Police arrested Maniruzzaman at Maddhab Bazar in Mohonganj yesterday noon.

Police recovered a body from a septic tank in the labour colony of Afil Jute mills at Atra Industrial belt under Khanjahan Ali Police station of Khulna city on Tuesday. The victim was identified as Jalal Ahmed, 54, son of late Syed Ahmed of Dhitpur village under Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district. He was a worker of the jute mills. According to the officer-in-charge Shahabuddin Ahmed of Khanjahan Ali Police Station, Jalal was beaten to death as his body bore several injury marks.

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel seized deer musk worth about Tk 14 lakh from in front of the office of Sohag Paribahan at Benapole yesterday morning. Acting on a tip-off, a team of BDR raided the area and recovered four deer musk from inside an abandoned bag. Sources said, the value of the seized deer musk is about Tk 14 lakh. No one was arrested in this connection as of filing of this report at 5:00pm yesterday.

Several people were injured in a clash between two factions of Jubo League at Kanaikhali in the district town Tuesday. Police said the clash ensued as Jubo League leader Shaheen and former Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Abdullahil Kafi Shuva locked into an altercation at about 2:00pm over a trifling matter. At one stage, both factions equipped with rods and sticks chased each other, leaving several activists, including Shuva, injured. Police later brought the situation under control. A camera of TV channel ATN Bangla, a bus counter of Modern Paribahan and two motorcycles were also damaged during the clash

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf has revealed that he and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had entered a deal, according to which, all cases against her were to be dropped in return for which she had agreed to not to return to Pakistan before the elections.

Despite the Lahore High Court order preventing his extradition, Pakistan Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's second-in command, would be handed over to Afghanistan after a case is registered against him in Pakistan.

Iran has said it is ready for a one-shot nuclear fuel exchange on its own soil, edging closer to the conditions of a plan drawn up by the UN atomic watchdog last year as major powers mulled a new round of sanctions.

New calculations by scientists have suggested that Venus and Earth might literally be involved in a long-distance relationship, with our planet speculated to be tugging on the core of Venus and exerting control over its spin.

Attackers killed 12 people in a small Christian village in central Nigeria on Wednesday, and witnesses said some of the victims' tongues had been cut out in a region where religious fighting already has killed hundreds this year.

Arts & Entertainment

Sara Billah has been taking music lessons since the age of five. Being a member of a family, which she calls immensely supportive, Sarah's pursuit of her passion for singing has been uninterrupted. Her debut album, “Mom-er Alo” was released a few weeks ago. The album, targeted towards a wide audience, features eight adhunik (contemporary) songs written by her and other lyricists, and one Nazrul Sangeet.

A painting competition for children was held on Monday morning to mark the 90th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children's Day 2010 at Thakurgaon Zila Parishad Auditorium.

The fourth annual Art Exhibition of Cubic School of Fine Arts began on March 13 at the Gallery Shomotot, Gulshan. Young artists -- ages between 4 and 13 -- have participated in the exhibition. Mujahidul Hassan (Rana), director of Cubic School of Fine Arts, spoke to The Daily Star about the exhibition.

Amra Shotodol's initiative to preserve and protect rivers has a sequence of cultural events today at Rabindra Sharobor from 3:30 pm to 8 pm. The group will be hosting documentaries, recitations and an art competition for street children along with various other programmes.

A discussion and cultural function on the occasion of the unveiling of a biography was held in Kurigram Town Hall on March 13. The book is authored by Nasir Uddin Shabuj, the vice-president of the Kurigram unit of The Daily Star Readers' Club.

Cultural organisation Nibedan is holding a musical soiree on Friday (March 19). To be held at the Shaheed Zia Auditorium, National Museum, the event will feature songs from the 'gramophone record era' (1900-1950), according to the organisers.

OP-ED

OVER the last few weeks the nation was on edge as violence escalated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Thankfully, the situation did not go out of control due to prompt action by the authority and timely initiative by the peace-loving people and community leaders.

IN its regular weekly meeting on March 8, the cabinet approved in principle the hike in the salaries and privileges of the president, prime minister, speaker, deputy speaker, ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, and lawmakers. The cabinet also approved the increase in the salaries and benefits of the chief justice and other judges of the Appellate Division and the High Court Division.

SHE is a student of class five in one of the leading Bengali-medium schools of Dhaka. When she was hardly 5, her parents sent her to a private coaching centre to prepare her for admission. She took private coaching for one year before going through the admission test and coming out successfully.

PI Day is celebrated internationally on March 14, and is observed by math enthusiasts and schools all over the world. The first Pi Day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, and then consuming fruit pies. Mathematicians, museum directors discuss the relevance of pi, pi recitations, pie-eating contests (you knew it was coming) and other math related activities. What is more, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology often mails its acceptance (and rejection) letters to be delivered to prospective students on Pi Day!

THE Union Parishad (UP) is one the oldest functioning local government institutions in Bangladesh. The common people's affiliation with this institution is very close and intimate. The recently enacted Local Government (Union Parishad) Act 2009 has added a few new dimensions to the traditional functions of UPs, which are vital institutions for local governance and local development.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has started work to construct a new customs auction shed outside the port restricted area as the existing one on three acres of land is hindering development of yard there.

$27m Bepza project for EPZsBangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (Bepza) with the financial assistance of World Bank (WB) would implement a 27 million US dollar poverty alleviation project at the Export Processing Zones (EPZs).